Attachment for knives.



No. 649,059. Patented May 8, |9002- W. S. KERN.

ATTAcHMENT Eon Krruvns.

(Application Bled Feb. 8, 1900.)

(N0 Model.)

YH: wams PETERSCO.. PHOTQLITHO.. wAsmNoTaN. D c.

NTTED STATES PATENT Prien.

WILLIAM S. KERN, OF lVlLKES-BARR, PENNSYLVANIA.

ATTACHMENT FOR KNIVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent NO. 649,059, dated. May 8,1900.

Application tiled February 3, 1900.Y Serial No. 3,865. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. KERN, a citizen of the United States,residing at l/Vilkes-Barr, in the county of Luzerne and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAttachments for Knives, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an attachment for knives by means of which thehand of the operator is protected from injury and the cutting operationis facilitated. It is particularly adapted for use in connection withthinbladed knives, such as are used in shops and factories for thepurpose of cutting leather, cloth, the., and popularly known as cuttersknives. I shall therefore describe and illustrate my invention inconnection with a knife of this description.

In the 'accompanying drawings, Figure lis a perspective view of a knifewith the fingerrest attached. Figs. 2 and 3 are upper and lowerperspective views of the finger-rest. Fig. 4 is a similar view showingthe manner of using the knife with the rest, and Fig. 5 is a similarView illustrating the manner in which the knife is ordinarily used.

Referring to Fig. l of the drawings, A indicates a knife of well-knownform and very largely used for the purpose of cutting cloth, leather,dac. This knife consists of a handle l, clamps 2, and a blade 3.(Indicated in dotted lines in said figure and in full lines in Figs. 4and 5.) The clamps are tightened upon the blade by means ofa screw 8 atthe end of the handle. As theknife is well known and forms no part of myinvention, further description of the knife itself is unnecessary. Theblades used in knives of this kind have very thin edges, and it iscustomary in the use of the knife, particularly in cutting upon curvesaway from the operator, to place the foreinger upon the edge of theblade, as shown in Fig. 5, in order to secure the desired pressure andmore perfect guidance of the blade. This results in continual cutting ofthe forenger of the operator, and as the pressure of said finger uponthe blade cannot be very great it is necessary to grasp the handle morefirmly than is desirable for the best results. For the purpose ofcutting upon curves it is desirable to apply the pressure at the bladeor at the forward end of the handle in order to permit the rear of thehandle to swing around within the hand. If sufficient pressure cannot beapplied at these points, then the handle must be grasped as beforestated, and, as the knife and hand move t0- gether, the former can onlybe turned as far as the wrist-joint will permit. This is the situationas soon as the ringer of the operator becomes sore. In order to overcomethis difficulty, I arrange upon the clamps 2.a removable finger-rest B,having a circular top 4, hollowed out or dished toward the center, asshown at 5, and having a longitudinally-slot- -ted shank G upon itsunder side. A set-screw 7 is arranged in one arm of the shank. Thefinger-rest is placed upon the clamp 2, as shown in Fig. 1, the clampfitting within the slot and the head 4 resting upon the back of theclamp. The rest is secured in place by means of the set-screw 7. Theset-screw pre-y vents the rest from sliding upon the clamp, and thehollow or dished upper surface of the rest prevents the forefinger,which bears upon it, from slipping olf. In practice the forenger isplaced upon the rest, as shown in Fig. 4, and the handle is supported bythe remaining fingers, which extend beneath it. The forefinger gives therequired pressure -upon the knife-blade, and the handle need not,therefore, be grasped so tightly as where the finger-rest is not used.This permits the handle to be turned readily within the hand by thefingers which support it, and the cutting operation is thereby greatlyfacilitated, while at the same time the hand of the operator, isprotected from injury.

The rest may be applied to other forms of knives; but it is peculiarlyadapted to use Von knives of the kind described for the reasonsmentioned.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent and means for seouringsad rest to the clamps,`

of the United States, issubstantially as described. 1o

The combination with a knife having In testimony whereof I affix mysignature clamps for the blade extending forwardly of in presence of twowitnesses.

5 the handle, of L finger-rest having a slotted l WILLIAM S. KERN.

shank fitting over said clamps, said rest hav- Vtnesses: ing :n head,hollowed ont or dished upon its JAMES COOL,

upper surface and resting upon said clamps, S. R. SMITH.

